''Thapsia'', commonly known as the deadly carrots, is a small

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

poisonous plant Plants that cause illness or death after consuming them are referred to as poisonous plants. The toxins in poisonous plants affect herbivores, and deter them from consuming the plants. Plants cannot move to escape their predators, so they must ...

s in the family

Apiaceae Apiaceae () or Umbelliferae is a family of mostly aromatic flowering plants named after the type genus ''Apium,'' and commonly known as the celery, carrot, or parsley family, or simply as umbellifers. It is the 16th-largest family of flowering p ...

. Their center of diversity is around the western

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...

, extending into the Atlantic coasts of

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

and

Morocco Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...

. Some species are used in

traditional medicine Traditional medicine (also known as indigenous medicine or folk medicine) refers to the knowledge, skills, and practices rooted in the cultural beliefs of various societies, especially Indigenous groups, used for maintaining health and treatin ...

Description

Species of ''Thapsia'' are herbaceous perennials, growing 50 to 200 cm high. The inflorescences are large, regularly distributed umbels. The seeds have four wings, and are the main characteristic of the genus, which is distributed in the Mediterranean, on the Iberian peninsula, and North Africa. The generic name ''Thapsia'' is derived from the

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek (, ; ) includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the classical antiquity, ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Greek ...

name θαψία (''thapsía'') for the members of the genus. The Greeks believe it to have originated from ancient Thapsos in

Sicily Sicily (Italian language, Italian and ), officially the Sicilian Region (), is an island in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula in continental Europe and is one of the 20 regions of Italy, regions of Italy. With 4. ...

. It has a long history of being used in ancient

. Algerians used it as a pain-reliever though they recognized that the plant was deadly to

camel A camel (from and () from Ancient Semitic: ''gāmāl'') is an even-toed ungulate in the genus ''Camelus'' that bears distinctive fatty deposits known as "humps" on its back. Camels have long been domesticated and, as livestock, they provid ...

s. The Greek colony of Cyrene exported a medicinal plant known as ''

silphion Silphium (also known as ''laserwort'' or ''laser''; Ancient Greek: , ) is an unidentified plant that was used in classical antiquity as a seasoning, perfume, aphrodisiac, and medicine. It was an essential item of trade from the ancient North Af ...

'', used as a

purgative Laxatives, purgatives, or aperients are substances that loosen stools and increase bowel movements. They are used to treat and prevent constipation. Laxatives vary as to how they work and the side effects they may have. Certain stimulant, lubri ...

and

emetic Vomiting (also known as emesis, puking and throwing up) is the forceful expulsion of the contents of one's stomach through the mouth and sometimes the nose. Vomiting can be the result of ailments like food poisoning, gastroenteritis, preg ...

. Although its exact identity remains contentious today, some historians believe that the plant may have been ''Thapsia garganica''.

Cancer research

The chemical compound

thapsigargin Thapsigargin is a non-competitive inhibitor of the sarco/endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ ATPase ( SERCA). Structurally, thapsigargin is classified as a guaianolide, and is extracted from a plant, '' Thapsia garganica''. It is a tumor promoter in ...

has been isolated from ''Thapsia garganica''. A synthetic

prodrug A prodrug is a pharmacologically inactive medication or compound that, after intake, is metabolized (i.e., converted within the body) into a pharmacologically active drug. Instead of administering a drug directly, a corresponding prodrug can be ...

of thapsigargin called "G-202" is in preliminary clinical trials for cancer treatment. The active constituent kills tumor cells by destroying their calcium balance. A biotech company called GenSpera, Inc. in San Antonio, TX is studying methods of delivering thapsigargin directly to cancer cells, avoiding damage to other cells in the body of the patient.

Antiviral research

This same chemical compound

is now being looked at as an antiviral to use against SARS-coV-2, the coronavirus virus that causes COVID-19. It has not yet reached the clinical trial stage.

Species

20 species of ''Thapsia'' are currently accepted. It is, however, a complex genus, and some authors may recognize different numbers of species. * '' Thapsia asclepium'' * '' Thapsia cinerea'' A.Pujadas * '' Thapsia eliasii'' * '' Thapsia foetida'' * ''

Thapsia garganica ''Thapsia garganica'', the italian thapsia, deadly carrots, or drias plant, is a species of flowering plant in the carrot family, Apiaceae. It is a perennial native to the Mediterranean Basin, including Portugal, Spain, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Al ...

'' L. * '' Thapsia gummifera'' * '' Thapsia gymnesica'' Rosselló & A.Pujadas * '' Thapsia maxima'' * '' Thapsia meoides'' * '' Thapsia minor'' Hoffmans & Link * '' Thapsia nestleri'' * '' Thapsia nitida'' Lacaita * '' Thapsia pelagica'' * '' Thapsia platycarpa'' Pomel * '' Thapsia scabra'' * '' Thapsia smittii'' * '' Thapsia tenuifolia'' * '' Thapsia thapsioides'' * '' Thapsia transtagana'' Brot. * '' Thapsia villosa'' L.

Gallery

File: Thapsia nitida.jpg, '' Thapsia nitida'' File: Thapsia villosa - 06052010.jpg, '' Thapsia villosa''

References

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q2710470 Medicinal plants Apioideae Apioideae genera